National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.

The National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. features one original Norman Rockwell painting in its permanent collection.

While not strictly a Norman Rockwell museum, I have included it because it contains a very important original Norman Rockwell painting among its collection.

Also, there are several other museums in Washington, DC that include Rockwell artwork in their collections. Seeing this mnuseum will be a great inclusion in the "Washington DC Rockwell tour."

In addition to this treasure, the Museum also has many thousands of square feet of exhibits featuring anthropology, minerals, botany, zoology, paleobiology, and all manner of animals, even extinct species.

This Museum is definitely worth a visit, as are all the Smithsonian Institute Museums.

Audubon Observing the Passenger Pigeon

The sole Norman Rockwell painting in the Museum's collection is Audubon Observing the Passenger Pigeon appeared in a story in the October 19, 1971 issue of Look magazine.

Audubon Observing the Passenger Pigeon, a 46.25 x 62.5 inches or 117.5 x 159 cm oil on canvas was the illustration accompanying a story by the same name by author Jack Shepherd. The article appeared on page 26 through 27 of that issue of Look. Of course, John James Audubon observed and painted hundreds of different birds during the course of his life. This painting captures him doing what he loved.

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Norman Rockwell Quotes:

I'll never have enough time to paint all the pictures I'd like to.

No man with a conscience can just bat out illustrations. He's got to put all his talent and feeling into them!

Some people have been kind enough to call me a fine artist. I've always called myself an illustrator. I'm not sure what the difference is. All I know is that whatever type of work I do, I try to give it my very best. Art has been my life.

Right from the beginning, I always strived to capture everything I saw as completely as possible.

The secret to so many artists living so long is that every painting is a new adventure. So, you see, they're always looking ahead to something new and exciting. The secret is not to look back.

I can take a lot of pats on the back. I love it when I get admiring letters from people. And, of course, I'd love it if the critics would notice me, too.

You must first spend some time getting your model to relax. Then you'll get a natural expression.